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20 | OCEAN GOVERNANCE

A BIG IDEA IN CONSERVATION
Developing Highly

Protected Areas

in the Mediterranean

How can we protect one of the world's biodiversity hotspots more effectively?

This workshop, organised by Together for the Med, invited leading experts to
discuss the achievements and priorities of the Mediterranean cross-border

dynamic.

While the Mediterranean is endowed with a vast sys-
tem of marine protected areas (MPAs), representing PAST PRESENT
6% of its surface area - a percentage equivalent to
the coverage of MPAs in the world's oceans - are
conservation efforts delivering real ecological bene-
fits for species and societies alike? A team of resear-
chers has addressed this vital question. Among them,
the Head of Science at BlueSeeds, Timothée Cook,
presented the situation in the Mediterranean at the
start of the afternoon session on March 22, 2023, in
the Oceanographic Museum Hall. Are marine protec-
ted areas (MPAs), the pillars of marine conservation
and social equilibrium, effective enough? The scien-
tist outlined a classification of levels of protection, the
highest of which should be pursued to deliver a real
social or ecological gain, in turn meeting the targets
set for 2030 by the various international agreements.
He explains: "High-level protection, combined with
regulation and enforcement, produces the greatest
socio-ecological benefits." The opposite approach
produces "an illusion of protection." However, as
Susan Gallon, MedPAN's scientific manager, points
out, "There has been no significant increase in fully
protected areas in the Mediterranean over the last
ten years."